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Spiegel bill would extend civil statute-of-limitations for non-sexual child abuse claims to age 38, with fiscal cap
Summary
House Bill 456 would extend the civil statute of limitations for non-sexual child-abuse and neglect claims, letting survivors bring civil suits through age 38, and the sponsor proposed an annual fiscal cap on state and local payments.
Delegate Ryan Spiegel asked the Judiciary Committee to consider House Bill 456 to extend the civil statute of limitations for non-sexual child abuse and neglect claims so survivors may file through age 38. The bill is modeled on earlier Maryland changes and follows the Child Victims Act of 2023, which eliminated time bars for sexual-abuse claims but left non-sexual physical-abuse and neglect claims subject to earlier cutoffs.
Survivors and advocates urged the committee to give victims time to identify and pursue civil remedies. James Van Hout (testifying under a legal name change), who described physical and psychological abuse at a private school, said PTSD and severe depression prevented him from pursuing claims before the existing cutoff. He urged the legislature to allow older survivors a day in court.
The Maryland Association of Counties supported the bill with amendments proposing limited waivers of liability for good-faith actions by county staff who must intervene to protect children—examples include parks-and-recreation staff redirecting a child for safety. Counties also asked for certainty about fiscal exposure and supported a sponsor amendment that would cap the aggregate annual payout the state and local governments must pay on child-abuse judgments in any fiscal year (the sponsor proposed a cap in the hearing record).
The American Tort Reform Association opposed retroactive revival of time-barred claims and warned that retroactive exposure undermines predictability and could produce large liabilities for public and private entities. Committee members asked about definitions (for example, mental injury), the scope of potential defendants (including churches and parents), and whether a fiscal cap would adequately manage state and local exposure. The sponsor said the bill preserves existing elements of a cause of action and only extends filing timelines to age 38 while proposing a fiscal cap to balance survivor access with budgetary concerns.
No vote was taken at the hearing; the sponsor requested a favorable report and offered to work on technical language and fiscal provisions with stakeholders.
